


Like Wildfire

by gonerr



Category: Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch kinda, Child Abuse, Coming Out, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, M/M, Physical Abuse, Teasing, okay but why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-04-26 04:11:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4989724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonerr/pseuds/gonerr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"That's pretty odd, ain't it?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I tried, god, I tried.

Ryan was a pretty content person. Okay, maybe not, but that totally wasn't his fault. He was described as 'complicated', thanks Pete. 

"You are kind of complicated." Spencer said.

"You are kind of a little bitch." Ryan replied, throwing him an award-winning smile.

"I beg to disagree. Spencer is as perfect as it gets." Jon grinned from on top of the ladder. He threw down a heap of hay and Spencer caught it, and stacked it on top of the other two that were already there. His horse, Kenny--whom he named after one of his friends--was nibbling at the hay whenever Spencer turned away. 

Ryan considered mentioning this to Spencer as he clearly hadn't noticed. Kenny was obviously having a great time eating the hay even if it was in tiny bites, well, as tiny as a horse could manage. He wasn't fully grown yet, but he wasn't a baby no more. 'He'll always be my precious pony' Spencer cheered.

Spencer had said that exactly to four other horses, and yes, he has kept his word. He's so damn proud of them, and he feeds them well, and keeps them perfectly groomed and he's so careful with them. He barely lets anyone else do anything with them, he needs them to be 'protected from the worlds filthy palms' as he said, 'oh, and your dirty hands too ryan so go away' he also said. 

"We're gonna be late to Dallon's, ain't we?" Jon pouted. He threw down another heap of hay.

"Oh dammit, we already are. Forget about that, let's get going. We can't have a repeat of last time." Spencer rushed to take his gloves and boots off. Ryan watched as Jon made his way down the ladder, humming and murmuring 'boop' when he jumped down onto the ground. 

After they finished getting clean, they walked out together, stopping only to make sure the barn was closed so nothing would sneak in or nothing would sneak out. It was a very small town, and there was no need for anyone to lock their house or their shops. Some people did, but only when the night seemed heavy. A thief would easily be caught in only a matter of minutes, granted, a thief could also easily slip away in a matter of minutes. But the people liked to remain positive, and Ryan liked the positive interruptions, no matter how much he denied it.

Even Dallon, the owner of  _The OakTree_ which was a small shop that everyone knew about didn't have to worry about keeping a lock on the door after he closed. It was a small shop, but it was highly popular because you could find almost anything at the shop, Dallon just had sources and connections to keep the shop way too busy. It was still pretty impressive though, so the three of them often helped out there. 

As they passed the white Urie cottage, they waved to Kara, the youngest daughter of the four Urie children. She was so kind, unlike her other siblings whom were much more rougher and separate from the rest of town. Kara was normally the one who would leave the house to wander through town and greet everyone with a beautiful smile. Everyone liked her, and she always preferred to be referred to as Kara, not Ma'am. 

"What a pleasant day it is, don't you think, Kara?" Jon beamed. 

"It truly is, Jon. I hope it's coming well to all of you?" She smiled, standing from her place in the garden and walking towards them. 

"Sure is. A bit hot, but it's not to be minded much." Spencer shrugged, smiling. Ryan agreed. 

"Very true. Are you off to Dallon, then?" 

"We sure are. Gotta help out the shop, ya' know?" Jon said, as Kara nodded along. "It's pretty busy on a usual day." 

"I don't go often, but I can only imagine with that many goods." 

"Want us to get anything for you?" Ryan asked. He knew she loved gardening and she usually got stuck doing everything else for the family in the white cottage, since they all rarely left the house, or they all normally went far from town. She usually always stayed in town and probably had not much time for herself. 

She grinned and tilted her head slightly, "Oh would you?"

"Of course Kara."

"Why, thank you so much. Would you get me a pound of carrots, for the horses. And another pound of tomatoes?" She spoke as she took out a wad of cash from her pocket and handed it to them. "Keep the change, boys."

"Thank you, we'll deliver your things as soon as we can." Spencer smiled, blushing slightly. He wasn't usually one to keep anyone else money, even though it'd been given to him but he knew better than to argue with Kara.

"No problem, boys. Thank you as well. I'll see you before the sun falls asleep." 

_! ! !_

"Gee, I was beginning to think ya'll got lost on the way here." Dallon said as they entered  _The OakTree._

"We wouldn't abandon your shop, Dal. You, on the other hand," Spencer sighed. Dallon shook his head, but he was smiling and leaning on the counter, despite being behind it. "We would abandon."

"Dear Lord. What a rude thing to say." He replied, face serious but eyes laughing. "Now how can I help ya'll?"

"We need some stuff. And we've come to help out." Ryan said, already fitting a pound a carrots into a basket with a bag of fresh tomatoes. He put the money on the counter in front of Dallon and put the basket by the window, just so he wouldn't forget on the way home.

"For Kara." He said, clearing the confused look on Dallon's face. "She's busy so we offered to get her stuff."

"Oh, how sweet of you all." Another voice said. It was louder, much more flamboyant.

"Saporta, darling. Please step aside." A different voice exclaimed from behind Saporta. Then William slid in--seriously, like a snake--and leaned against the book shelf by the door. "What a killer heat. I'm sweating and it's disgusting."

"You look so fine," Saporta grinned, hands on his hips and eyes wide. He wore purple pants, a white shirt with torn sleeves and high boots. Though he somehow, had glasses that looked like shutters and they were also purple. "Downtown," He said when he caught them staring at the glasses and he laughed.

"Right, because that's what we were wondering." Spencer laughed, shaking his head. Jon had disappeared a while ago, probably to go watch the kittens in the back whine and meow at everything because they think they're so cute. Dallon was busy with a customer, so he has yet to notice Gabe's presence, and William's as well. Although, everyone refers to them as 'Beckett & Saporta' because they're one of the town's most popular couples. Ryan has yet to decide if it's because they're open and gay, or if it's because they both get around to everywhere and they cause so much chaos in one place that people only sense trouble from them. 'Young and reckless, baby' Gabe says.

They spent a while talking before it began to get dark, so Ryan decided to leave early because Spencer reminded him he still had to get to the Urie cottage. He'd forgotten, and he felt kind of bad that he was running late but the sun was still up a bit, maybe Kara was still up. He remembered one time, he found her in the family's barn which was strange because only boys and men really belonged there. If she wasn't in the garden, perhaps she was in the barn. After all, she did say sometimes she preferred the outside until the sun went completely away. Besides, the barn lights were on, and the door was tilted open.

_*flashback*_

_"Kara?" Ryan said as he walked into the barn. He stopped though, because he heard whimpers. The barn was very weird and different from inside than anyone else's barn._

_It was sad and quiet, but it was there. Ryan found himself walking even though his mind told him not to, and he was soon staring at a young boy, perhaps around his very own age. But this boy had big sad brown eyes hidden only slightly by long lashes. He was curled up in the middle of a dirty mattress, with clothes too big on him and bare feet that were dirty and swollen. His hands seemed no better. He was smaller than Ryan was, and a lot more pale than him._

_The boy was sitting on a mattress that was inside a horse stable. The door of it was open though, and there was a bucket of water by a tiny lamp that was sitting near the boy's mattress. There was a small drawer inside as well, probably not even big enough to hold all of Ryan's clothes._

_"You're not Kara." Ryan said. He stared as the boy quickly looked up at him with wide eyes and worry clearly shown on his face._

_"N-No. I'm Brendon. Who are you?"_

_"I'm Ryan. I'm a Ross." He replied, setting down the basket on a small table. Weird._

_"I'm a Urie." Brendon mumbled._

_"A Urie?" Ryan repeated. "Oh, so you're Kara's cousin? Nephew?"_

_He shook his head and shifted on the bed. He avoided eye contact for a while, and maybe he was just shy so Ryan wouldn't pressure him into talking, he wouldn't force him to speak._

_"Kara is my big sister." He said finally._

_But that obviously made no sense. There were only four Urie children._

_"How old are you?" Ryan asked. "There's only four Urie kids. Maybe you're just a lying bum."_

_"Seven. And I'm the last one. There's four other Urie kids. But I'm the fifth." Brendon frowned._

_"I'm eight. And how come the town doesn't know the fifth Urie child, then?"_

_"I've always been in here." He replied, cheeks turning pink._

_"But why?"_

_"I ... haven't really been good enough to go out."_

_"That's weird."_

_"I'm sorry." Brendon mumbled, and he stayed quiet._

_"You got beat up or something? Clumsy?"_

_Brendon didn't reply._

_"You should come play with my friends and I one day."_

_He left the barn quietly, soon after Brendon fell asleep._

_*End of flashback*_

The barn was open, but upon reaching the barn, a few memories came flooding back. But Ryan wasn't sure if they'd been memories or if he was just a regular kid who had imaginary friends and he genuinely believed he could see them. Though now that he thought about it, the boy in his memories--or imagination, who knows--seemed to have been horribly abused by his family. Which also happened to be the Urie's and now Ryan was beginning to put the puzzles together. 

He had been too young to understand before. 

"Brendon?" He asked, walking further into the quiet barn. 


	2. Well, It Goes Like This;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there beautiful

"Brendon?" He asked, cringing at the way his voice echoed slightly. 

It was really dark inside so Ryan had to be careful where he stepped, his only source of light being the sunsets sky of swirls. Orange mixed with pink, yellow and red. His shadow seemed frightening now. 

"Hello?" He asked again. 

He slipped further into the barn and tried to keep his steps quiet, careful not to wake up any animals or anything if they had any. He slowly made his way to the horse stables, to the second one on the left. He remembered seeing Brendons stuff there, and the boy himself on the mattress. Maybe the family had finally come to their senses and treated him right, or maybe they finally allowed him to leave.

Ryan jumped a little when he felt a lump of something against his foot. It wasn't a heavy weight, but it was definitely pawing angrily at him. So he relaxed and looked down, to find a small white kitten crawling around on his foot and pawing at his ankles.

"You claws are tiny," Ryan grinned slightly, bending down to pick it up. "So are your teeth."

It squirmed away though and ran towards the back of the barn, where the last stable was and slipped inside through a little hole. Ryan wondered what it ran off to, or to who probably. It took a while for him to notice he was already standing at the second stable, but when he opened it, it was completely empty. There was hay scattered around the ground, but no Brendon. 

Ryan swore softly and closed it as quiet as possible before he made his way to the last stable, where the kitten had slipped in. And he stood there for a moment, having noticed a ray of light beaming out of there. He hadn't noticed it before, or maybe a light was just turned on. His curiosity was sometimes too much to handle, but he couldn't help it so he pushed the stable open and his honey eyes made contact with someone else's big brown eyes quickly.

"Brendon." Ryan sighed in relief, "You're real."

Brendon was quiet, he only stared at Ryan with wide eyes and his mouth was formed into a round shape, and Ryan tried so hard not to let any dirty thoughts come to mind. so while Brendon took his time, Ryan looked around and noticed the same tiny drawer in the corner, a new lamp sat by Brendons .. mattress. It wasn't the same one, but it definitely wasn't too new either. Ryan purposely ignored the faded bruise on Brendons neck. 

"I - you're not supposed to be here." Brendon squeaked slightly.

"I figured." Ryan shrugged.

The tiny white kitten popped out from near Brendon and scurried to Ryans feet, pawing and clawing at him again. And suddenly, it hit Ryan. The kitten wasn't playing with him, it was trying to protect Brendon. In its own way of saying, ´back off, go away.´ 

"What's his name?" Ryan nodded down at the kitten. 

Brendon shifted. "Ian."

"He's always here? He's yours?" Ryan asked, moving to sit down.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't be here." Brendon replied, frowning.

"It's me, Ryan. I know I shouldn't be here but, here I am." 

"I know who you are. We could get in trouble." Brendon mumbled.

"Why are you out here again?" Ryan asked.

Brendon looked at him for the first time since he sat down and Ryans heart flipped. He had beautiful eyes, but he looked so sad. He had perfect pale skin, with full pink lips and his long dark eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks when he thought too hard. Besides, Ryan liked Brendons voice. It was soft and sweet.

"It doesn't matter." Brendon answered. 

"Wait - you remember me? Ryan Ross?" He grinned. Brendon blushed slightly. 

"I have never met anyone outside of my parents, siblings and a friend. So you were the first person I met those years ago that I hadn't known. Of course I would remember you. I was sure you'd forgotten me." Brendon sighed.

That was the most he'd heard Brendon say in one go.

"I forgot for a while, but then I remembered. Its been years, how old are you now?" 

"Sixteen. I'm turning seventeen though."

"When?"

"Next week, I think." Brendon blushed.

"You think? How could you not know your own birthday?" Ryan teased slightly. 

Brendon shifted slightly, but he didn't say anything much afterwards besides shrugging. Then Ryan remembered Brendon was basically living in a barn, by himself. And for years already too. He felt kind of guilty now. But he wanted to help.

"You have bruises." He said.

Brendon nodded, but didn't reply with any words.

"Your parents did them? Ill help you get out of here." 

"No!" Brendon squeaked, then shushed himself. "I mean no, thanks but no. I'm fine here, really." 

"They hurt you." Ryan frowned.

"Just don't talk about it. It doesn't matter anyway." He replied quickly.

"Yes it does - " Ryans voice was cut off. 

He mentally cursed himself and stiffened when they heard the barn doors swing open loudly. Shit, shit, shit. He was in so much trouble now. He saw Brendon go tense and his eyes widened, before he looked around quickly.

"Hide," Brendon frantically whispered. 

He moved his drawer, revealing a small door. He opened it and quickly, Ryan slipped inside letting out a relieved sigh when he realized he could fit. Brendon could also, but just as he was about to pull Brendon in, the door closed and he heard Brendon moving the drawer back in place. In front of the door. And Ryan wanted to take care of Brendon, but he knew he'd be in too much trouble if he was caught by another Urie. They'd charge him for trespassing.

"Dammit," He whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead onto his knees. 

He could hear his heart beating loudly, quickly. And he could hear  _thump, thump, thump._ And then the stable door swung open, making a crooked sound. Then he heard muffled voices, a deep voice and Brendons voice. 

There was shouting after a few seconds of silence. And then there were more violent sounds, and Ryan could only hope and pray that Brendon was alright. He wanted to burst out and help Brendon, he wanted to keep him safe, but he felt stiff and stuck inside. He could hear some shouts, words still muffled, and he could hear some cut off cries, some cut off screams. 

"Shit, shit, shit." Ryan mumbled over and over to himself. 

Covering his ears didn't work, so maybe the louder his thoughts got, the less sounds he could hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't like the original second chapter, so I rewrote it completely :)


	3. Won't You Let Me Help Boy?

"Who was that?" Ryan demanded as soon as the door was opened. 

But it wasn't Brendon who stared back at him. Instead it was Kara, who looked slightly disappointed and very upset. Her hair was kind of a mess, and there were bags under her eyes like she hadn't slept right. Or enough.

"Ryan," She said, voice wavering. 

"Kara, I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to -" 

She cut him off. "Just don't tell anyone else, Ryan."

"But Brendon." He frowned.

Kare frowned back, a sad gleam in her eyes before she stood up making room for Ryan to get out. So he slid out careful and quietly, then stood up. He shut the door and carefully moved the small drawer back in front of the door to hide it. When he turned around, he found Brendon sitting on the bed and he could hear him making soft whimpering sounds. They broke Ryan's heart.

What hurt the most was when Brendon looked up and Ryan saw the damage that had been done. There were bruises, cuts and so much blood. His hair was messy, like someone pulled on chunks of it, and his shirt was torn. If possible, Brendon looked more sad than usual.

"We have to get you out of here." Ryan mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed.

He kind of forgot Kara was there as well.

"Absolutely not, Ryan," She said, eyes widening. "Thats insane."

Ryan shook his head, "What's insane is that he has to endure this abuse from his own relatives."

"I don't like it either, but it'll only be worse if he leaves." Kara replied, beginning to clean Brendons busted lip.

"Kara, don't you understand? This isn't fair for him. I mean,  _look_ at him!" Ryan cried.

"Lower your voice," Kara shushed him. "And I can see."

"I'm okay." Brendon spoke softly.

"Thats bullshit. Look at you," Ryans voice grew softer. "You're so broken."

"I'm good, I don't need your fixing." Brendon glared slightly. 

Ryan groaned in frustration and tugged at strands of his hair. He needed to help Brendon, needed to make him understand that he shouldn't have to go through abuse from anyone. That it was wrong and he deserved much better. 

"Ryan, how did you even get to Brendon?" Kara asked, clearly tired.

And he trusted Kara, and he knew she trusted him, or well did before at least. So he explained how when he was around eight years old, he snuck into the barn to find her because he had seen her in there sometimes and instead, found Brendon, the pretty but sad little boy with the bruises and cuts and who was painfully quiet and insecure. Of course not with those same descriptions, but he explained how he found Brendon and how his curiosity got the best of him earlier when delivering her basket from Dallons place, and he wanted to see if Brendon was real or not. 

Through the entire time, Brendon played with his fingers and Kara softly ran her fingers through his hair, stopping only when Brendon would wince or tense up. Then she proceeded to clean or massage his wounds. 

"And then we heard the barn door open, and he helped me into that little room and I thought he was coming too but he stayed back. So I heard some stuff, but eventually I fell asleep when it got quiet, woke up today and you let me out." Ryan explained.

Kara nodded slowly, showing she understood.

"But why?" Ryan frowned.

"I'm not completely sure. Whenever I asked them about it, they would give me different reasons each time. I'm positive they dont even know why they do it."

But that was ridiculous! Brendon should not be treated this way, and without a reason! It angered Ryan, but to some extent, it also terrified him. He can try to help Brendon, but what is he really is no help in the end?

"Let him come home with me, I'll keep him safe." Ryan stressed. "Tell them he left or something."

"It doesn't work that way, Ryan." Kara frowned sadly.

"But it can work, Kara. How will we know if we never try?" He questioned.

"Ryan, please. Don't you get it? They'll find him anyway. They won't quit searching for him, and when they find him, it's only going to be so much more worse than it is now. Or they'll get you into lots of trouble somehow." She said.

"It's not worth it Ryan." Brendon whispered, eyes on the wall.

"He's been locked in here for years, Kara.  _Years."_ He reminded her, "They never let him out."

He watched Kara bite her lip, twirling a damp towel in her hands before she brought it up to Brendons temple and cleaned some dried blood off him. Brendon flinched only a little, and Kara sighed softly. 

"I know." She replied.

"He hasn't ever been on the outside, has he?" Ryan sighed.

Brendon and Kara both shook their heads.

"But I've seen it, from upstairs. There's windows." Brendon defended weakly.

Maybe Ryan had taken everything for granted, or maybe he just hadn't considered a different life that he has now. He hadn't even stopped to think twice of anyone who could be living under worse conditions. Or that have not had the experiences he's been allowed to have. But here is Brendon, seated right in front of him, sad and alone and suffering betrayal from the ones who should love and protect him the most.

It wasn't fair, because no one should be mishandled so awfully. It wasn't fair because the only person Ryan knew Brendon felt he could trust was Kara. But how could he help him, or them if they wouldn't allow him to?

"Brendon," Ryan kneeled next to him.

"I can't leave," Brendon whimpered. "I'm sorry."

He didn't expect to find tears in Brendon's eyes, but he can't say that he ended up surprised. He thought maybe there were tears in his too, because hell, he had just met this boy again but he's grown so fond of him so fast. For the moment, he pretended it was only him and Brendon.

"Please," He pleaded as he squeezed Brendon's hand, "Just let me help you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of quick, isn't it? I just dont update a lot


End file.
